This is the most used word these days. Everybody is just tired, and I ask myself when did we get here. Is it the pandemic, the Russian-Ukraine war or am I just aging and have old friends? The truth is that every time I call someone for a chat and begin by saying, hey how are you, invariably the response is I am well but just tired. Have no fear, I feel the exact same way. The irony I find is that we are working mostly from home, we are shopping mostly online, we are contending less with daily traffic and all that pre-pandemic life demanded. But! this might not necessarily be true as our lives have simply changed it has not gotten simpler or easier, its just different and in some instances more taxing emotionally and mentally hence the reason we are all tired.
Take for instance the fact that since the start of the pandemic and the move to work from home we no longer have strict working hours. I normally begin work at 9am when I log on to the computer for a meeting or to begin working. I may take a break at 1pm and might get up again at 5pm but invariably return after dinner and work until the wee hours of the morning. I work right around the clock on reports, papers, presentations, preparing speeches, answering emails, attending inordinately long meetings and taking phone calls. Deliver us Lord from remote work!!!! It just never ends and hence I am tired but this is only my work life. You see, there is my family, there is church, my varied relationships and professional groups. How do we juggle it all? I also forgot to add that there is also my sporadic exercise routine. I am tired just writing this.
I long for a day that is just a day. No considerations, no work on my mind, I have nothing planned, nobody needs anything from me and there are no expectations and I'm not feeling guilty for it. The last time I had a day like that was 2002 or somewhere about that time. But when I look back at 2002 I had very little by way of people around me, physical possessions and a meaningful job. Does it therefore mean that as life progresses and we become gainfully employed, goal oriented and more accomplished we also take on to ourselves more pressure, concerns, responsibilities, challenges and weariness? Is this the price we pay for living in a nice house, driving a functioning reliable car, staying ahead of the game and maintaining our relationships? The strange thing is, that as I think about it all, and as much as I am exhausted, I cannot identify one aspect of my life that I am not grateful for. If I am honest I am happy for my exhausted life. I love getting up each day with a sense of purpose, I love the people in my life, I absolutely adore my family and I love being needed. I just need longer days, 3 day weekends, a flat belly and a million US$!!
